Chapter 35 Change
In the eighteenth year of Hongchang.
Times changed.
May 23rd.
Dark clouds covered the moon and all was silent.
A carriage draped in black cloth stopped at the back door of Prince Qin’s Manor.
When the guard on duty saw the old man get out of the car, he did not dare to stop him at all and hurriedly went to the residence to report.
When Prince Qin, Zhao Yuan, heard that Zhang Zhengyang had come late at night, he guessed that something big had happened. He hurriedly invited him to the study room and ordered the guards to send away the servants around him. No one was allowed to approach!
Zhang Zhengyang was alone. The first thing he said after entering the study made Zhao Yuan’s face turn pale.
“His Majesty passed away, four hours ago!” “Ah! Father…” Zhao Yuan exclaimed and stood up. Then, he said dejectedly, “My father even hid the news of his death. He must have made some arrangements.”
“That’s right.” Zhang Zhengyang nodded and said, “The late emperor issued a will and appointed the four of us as ministers to assist the sixth prince in governing the country.”
“Then why are you here?”
Hope flashed in Zhao Yuan’s eyes. The bells of Shangyang Palace had yet to ring, and the news of Emperor Hongchang’s death had yet to spread. Things might turn around.
Zhang Zhengyang said, “Master, I suspect that the Sixth Prince is stubborn by nature and won’t be a good emperor!”
Zhao Yuan nodded slightly and waited quietly for the rest. The so-called not being like a good emperor was just an excuse. There must be other reasons that made Prime Minister Zhang take the risk to disobey the late emperor’s will.
“The other three ministers, one is a eunuch, one is an ignorant woman, and one is a lowly noble!” Zhang Zhengyang said, “How can we let such a person make the decision on an important matter of the country? It was only because of the previous emperor’s diligence that the country was able to prosper. I can’t watch it be destroyed by that child!”
“Minister Zhang is right!”
Zhao Yuan could guess the identities of the other three and admired his father’s arrangements. One of them was Eunuch Wang, the Minister of Internal Affairs, who was in charge of the secret memorial of the Uniformed Guards. The second would be Imperial Consort Sun, the one who gave birth to his sixth brother, where her father and brothers were in charge of the capital camp. The last one would be Duke Cheng, who was over 80 years old and had the highest prestige and seniority among the nobles.
Prime Minister Zhang had been in charge of the court for nearly twenty years, and his henchmen had spread throughout the imperial court and local state capitals of the Divine Capital.
Only these three powerful ministers who did not belong to the court could restrain each other and give the Sixth Prince enough time to grow and gain power.
Zhao Yuan was both respectful and jealous.
The current empress only had one son. After the crown prince rebelled and was deposed, Zhao Yuan was the eldest son.
So why should the throne fall to his sixth brother?
Zhao Yuan could understand his father’s good intentions. He had set up a will to restrict Minister Zhang’s power, but it did not mean that he would obey!
Zhang Zhengyang said, “Those three people are currently in the palace. The edict hasn’t been issued yet. If Your Highness has any thoughts, I’m willing to assist you with all my might!”
“Did Minister Zhang forget the urgent report from the Northern Frontier?”
Zhao Yuan changed the topic and reminded him, “If we fight for power now, we might delay in settling the war. Once the northern border is defeated…”
“So what if the Northern Frontier lost? It’s just giving up land and reparations. We can fight back in the future, but there’s only one throne. If we miss it, we won’t have another chance!”
Zhang Zhengyang had been an old fox for decades, so how could he not know that Zhao Yuan was already tempted? He added fuel to the fire. “It might not be a bad thing that the Northern Frontier had been defeated. After Your Highness ascends to the throne, you can use the war to divert the conflict in the imperial court and easily secure the throne.”
“Father ascended the throne as the Prince Qin back then. Now that I’m Prince Qin, I should be the successor!” Zhao Yuan finally stopped hiding his thoughts and promised, “After I ascend to the throne, Minister Zhang will still be in charge of the internal and external affairs of the court.”
Zhang Zhengyang bowed. “Thank you, Your Majesty!”
“There’s no need for formalities, Minister Zhang.”
Zhao Yuan hurriedly went forward to help him up. He was extremely vigilant. Zhang Zhengyang did not hesitate to betray his father for the sake of power. After he ascended the throne, the first thing he would do is to eliminate his henchmen.
“There’s no time to lose. We have to settle the situation before the edict is issued!” Zhang Zhengyang said, “I’ve already gathered all the servants in the residence and roped in Commander Lin, who is stationed at the east gate of the palace. I’ll fully support Your Highness, so you should quickly enter the palace to control the situation.”
“That’s good!”
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Zhao Yuan ordered the commander of the guards to gather his men and summoned the imperial residence’s chief official. He held his waist token and ordered the martial arts schools in the Divine Capital to quickly gather at the east gate of the palace.
These martial arts schools were all controlled by Zhao Yuan. Previously, when the crown prince was in power, they were only used to make money. Now, they have become a tool for power struggle.
Or it could be said that any prince would raise a potential force just in case!
There was no time to lose.
Less than an hour after Zhang Zhengyang entered the residence, Zhao Yuan had already arrived at the east gate of the palace with more than a thousand people.
They were dressed in armor and wielded swords and spears. They looked rather imposing
When Commander Lin saw Minister Zhang, he ordered the city gate to be opened.
“Your Highness, the ministers are still at Shangyang Palace!”
“Commander Lin has made a great contribution this time. After I ascend the throne, you will be conferred the title of marquis.”
Zhao Yuan was not stingy with his rewards, causing the men behind him to release their auras. They all thought that the outcome was decided after entering the palace.
ne was
Shangyang Palace.
The lights were on.
The sixth prince lay on the bed, sobbing softly.
The royal family was not heartless. Moreover, a ten-year-old child was usually doted on by Emperor Hongchang.
Eunuch Wang, Duke Cheng, and Zhang Zhengyang stood by the bed and waited quietly, looking exhausted.
Imperial Consort Sun sat at the side and called the eunuch over to ask, “What time is it now?”
“Your Highness, it’s already quarter past midnight.”
The eunuch knew what Imperial Consort Sun wanted to ask and took the initiative to answer, “There’s less than an hour until the imperial court.”
Imperial Consort Sun glanced at the calm Prime Minister Zhang and heaved a sigh of relief. Perhaps this person did not care about the gains and losses of power. He was a truly loyal Prime Minister!
Not long ago.
Emperor Hongchang died late at night. Before he died, he issued an edict appointing four ministers to assist the Sixth Prince.
Imperial Consort Sun and the others immediately understood that Emperor Hongchang was dividing Zhang Zhengyang’s authority to prevent the instability of the dynasty.
Therefore, when Zhang Zhengyang was about to leave Shangyang Palace to read the edict, he was stopped by three ministers.
Zhang Zhengyang had been in charge of the government for nearly 20 years. It was unknown how many forces were hidden in the capital. If he took advantage of the darkness and plotted against them, the other three would be powerless to resist.
After a few rounds of sawing, the four of them set the rules.
No one was allowed to leave Shangyang Palace before dawn. For the time being, there would be no mourning until the imperial edict was read.
Imperial Consort Sun’s trusted aide left the city to inform the capital camp. Eunuch Wang ordered the eunuchs to gather the Uniform Guards. After the imperial edict was announced in the morning, they would have enough strength to confront Zhang Zhengyang. Only Duke Cheng was calm, as if he did not care about the matters of the country.
Just then
There was a commotion outside the palace gates, followed by more screams.
Imperial Consort Sun hurriedly sent someone to check what was happening outside.
Duke Cheng glanced at Zhang Zhengyang and saw that he was still expressionless, as if he was not surprised by the changes outside.
The servant came back with a face full of fear. “Your Highness, Prince Qin and Minister Zhang barged in with their troops and killed anyone they saw…”
As he spoke, he suddenly froze and looked at Zhang Zhengyang with the others in the palace.
Zhang Zhengyang was silent. He slowly raised his hand and pulled the skin behind his ear, tearing off a layer of old skin to reveal his true appearance.
